Jails are thought to be ‘Ground Zero’ for the opioid epidemic in the nation.
That’s because in addition to having high rates of opioid use disorder (roughly half of people who are incarcerated), the risk of fatal overdose is 120 times higher for people recently released from incarceration compared to the general population.
Edmond Hayes, who is director of an opioid treatment program that serves people in rural Western Massachusetts jails and prisons and Assistant Superintendent of the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office sees this reality every day and is trying to help.
Hayes is also one of dozens of community partners participating in the Helping to End Addiction Long-term® Initiative, or NIH HEAL Initiative® Justice Community Opioid Innovation Network, or JCOIN. JCOIN is a HEAL-funded network of researchers, local and state justice agencies, and community-based treatment providers working together to develop real-world interventions that can address the unique needs of people involved in the justice system who have opioid use disorder.
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